Means for supplying drinking water to fowls and the like



s. A. BUSH 2,205,342 MEANS FOR SUPPLYING DRINKING WATER TO FOWLS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 2'7, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 F, .1

lime 18, 1940. s, BUSH 2,205,342

MEANS FOR SUPPLYING DRINKING WATER T0 FOWLS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 27, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jlfin Zqy A Bush Patented June 18, 1940 PATENT OFFICE v MEANS FOR. SUPPLYING DRINKING WATER TO FOWLS AND THE LIKE Stanley A. Bush, East Jordan, Mich., assignor to George C. Willcorz,v Saginaw, Mich.

Application August 2'7, 1935, Serial No. 38,112

. 19 Claims.

The invention is for supplying drinking water for fowls and birds, one object being to furnish water free from contamination, constantly in motion', and in such divided condition that a number of fowls can be supplied at the same time. Other objects will appear from the following dscription.

The invention consists in the features and combination and arrangement of parts set forth in the following description, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front view of the invention partly in section.

Fig. 2 is a side view.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section through the trough member and associated parts.

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a supporting foot, or standard.

Fig. 5 is a diagram of the supply reservoir and associated parts.

fied form of a distributor.

Fig. '7 is a modified form of reservoir and support.

Figs. 8 and 9 relate. to the form of Fig. '7.

Fig. 10 is a view of a modified form. of catch member for receiving the drips at the lower part of the apparatus.

Fig. 11 is a transverse section of the member shown in Fig. 10. I

Fig. 12 is an end view of the member shown in Fig. 10.

In these drawings, l is a suitable frame supporting a number of cross members 2, one above the other, and preferably in the same vertical plane, 3 is a trough into which a regulable supply of water is fed from a suitable source of supply through any suitable form of conduit controlled by a valve, indicated generally at 4. The bottom of this trough has a number of spaced apart ports,

or openings, 5 delivering the water to a distributor 6 which is attached to the bottom of the trough in any suitable way. This distributor is tubular in form and its rounded under side is provided with 45 ,a series of spaced apart notches 1 formed through the lower wall portion of the tube from front to 55. ,ordrip bar, has its upper wall flattened to a more Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional View of a modi--' or less degree, and this upper wall is roughened by transverse scorings 9, about say twenty to the inch more or less, so that the drops of Water falling thereon from the upper distributor will be broken up and spread over said upper surface instead of being lost more or less as a result of splashing when it hits said tubular drip bar in its downward course. This drip tube is notched at its lower portion, said notches being like those described above and indicated at I.

These notches are cut through both the front and back lower wall portions. They are about one quarter inch wide at their extreme lower ends, and about three sixteenths inches wideat their upper ends. These upper ends are defined by the curved edges of the tube walls shown at H). The water which falls upon the upper surfaceof this drip tube spreads thereon and flows down the front andback walls of the tube along theedge of the notches and finally drips from the bottom exterior surface of the tube, at the intact portion 8 thereof lying between the notches. Thedrops of water at these drip areas, or intact bottom wall portions 8, are indicated at a in position to be taken by the fowls. No water drips from. the curved edges in defining the upper ends of the notches because the water in seeking its lowest level follows the intact wall portions between the notches and finally reaches the lower intact Wall portions of the tubes between the notches, and drops therefrom down upon the tube next below, and so on to the lowermost drip tube of the set, and from this last tube the drops of water fall into a catch trough II from which a discharge tube. may lead to any suitable point of discharge. Entering into the discharge action just mentioned is the factor of surface tension acting to prevent the water dripping from the edges of the notches.

The notches of the tubes space the drip areas or lower wall portions of the tubes sufficiently far apart that even though the appliance may be set on uneven ground, or an uneven base and the tubes be inclined within reasonable limits, the drops .will be maintained separated from each other instead of merging one with another.

While I have referred to the cross members as drip tubes, it will be understood that I do not limit myself in this respect as solid bars may be provided for the purpose having substantially the same general cross sectional outline as the tubes to present substantially the same outer-curved surface providing the drip area, or drip line, substantially. at the center of the curved under face of the drip member.

'contact with the Walls of the channels.

By my invention not only do I provide a drip member of a form having the advantage of dividing the water flowing on the exterior of the member from its upper to its lower surface into drops, which will be prevented bythe notches from running together, but by using a series of said bars or members, one above the other, I provide a grid down which the water passes from bar to bar, sometimes in drops, and sometimes in a comparatively thin layer on the bars producing in the aggregate flowing water interspersed with drops, and all having a downward course, from the upper to the lower end of the appliance. From my observation it is thought that a moving body of water such as is produced by my grid made up of a plurality of bars as shown attracts the fowls and induces the consumption of water by them in larger measure than is the case where the drinking water is contained in a pan. Furthermore, by having the water spread out and flowing over a considerable exterior surface area, as afforded by the exterior of the tubes, or other members, in more or less divided condition, the water is aerated by its exposure to the air, and this effect of aeration is also augmented by breaking up the drops of water as they fall upon and are spread out by the scored or roughened upper surfaces of the bars, or tubes, all of which contributes to the sanitarycharacter of the appliance and to the health of the fowls.

By the use ofthe tubes. or bars, at different elevations, the appliance will serve at the same time chicks of the smallest size as well as mature fowls. The bars, or tubes, are preferably so notched that said notches are in vertical lines, one above another.

In order to check the flow of water from the upper trough and yet provide openings in the bottom of said trough of ample diameter to prevent clogging, I place in the said trough a bar I2. This may be of angle iron having its flanges at a right angle to each other. One. of these flanges rests upon the bottom of the trough and obstructs the flow of water to the openings so that the supply to the distributor bars, or grid, is limited. The

bar !2 is placed loosely in the trough and its surface is of such irregularity as to leave suflicient crevice between it and the bottom of the trough to secure the proper feed of water. This feed may be regulated also by the valve.

The interior surface of the upper distributor tube may be roughened or provided with such scorings h extending circumferentially of the Wall as, will check the free flow of water lengthwise of the tube, and thus the water will be divided up sufficiently to be segregated into drops at the lower face of this bar, or tube.

In Fig. 6 I show a modified form of distributor bar l3 which is solid, substantially circular in cross section, and is notched at'its lower part. This bar i s connected with the trough M by a neck portion l5 down which the water flows from the trough to the bar.

The frame of the apparatus may be held on standards It made of wire bent to form foot portions I1, and upwardly extending arms l9 which are held. together by couplings l8. These arms are springy and they fit in channels 20 in the edges of the frame and are retained by frictional The frame may be adjusted vertically on these spring arms.

In Fig. 7 I show the appliance associated with a tank, or bucket, 2|, which is arranged to deliver water to the upper trough through a valve 22. A

standard 23 forms a support for the rear part of the bucket.

In all forms the apparatus can be used by the fowls on either the front or rear sides thereof.

It will be observed that the bar placed in the trough serves as a filtering means to prevent undesirable material from reaching the perforations in the bottom of the trough.

The u per drip bar, or distributor, which receives the water from the trough has, like the drip, or distributor, bars below it, downwardly facing intact areas between its spaced apart notches on which the water accumulates in the form of drops to fall into contact with the bar next below it.

I prefer the form in which the water is always on the outer side of the distributor, or drip, bar, because this surface will be kept clean and free from accumulation'of contaminating matter and will not collect dirt.

In place of the catch trough II at the bottom of the appliance to receive the unused Water, I

may use the device shown in Figs. 10 and 11. This is, in part, something like the hollow cross bars in that its upper surface is imperforate from end to end, of generally tubular form as at Ila. Its top is slightly flattened and scored or roughened like the drip bars above it, so as to spread the drops, while preventing them from splattering,

and reducing the velocity of the water. This. Water flows down the outer rounded sides I lb of this member and upon the downward extensions of said sides, which converge downwardly to substantially an edge. This member at its portion midway of its length is of considerable depth, and to it the edges of the depending portion slant downwardly from the opposite ends of the device so that the water will be directed to the lowermost central point of the member at which the water will be allowed to drop to any suitable drain, or pass into said drain. This form of final discharge means for the water is safer than the trough, because as the water flows entirely on the outer side of said member there can be no clogging or interference with the free flow of the Water away from the appliance. It is also more sanitary than the trough as no sediment or dust can collect on the surface on which the flow takes place. No notches are found in this final discharge member as the object is to direct the water to the lowermost central point thereof for its delivery to the drain. This drain may be located below the lower central part to receive the discharge water therefrom.

This member I lw-l lb may be rinsed off occasionally if desired.

This member may be made of sheet metal or a casting, or it may be made of a solid bar instead of tubular.

The scorings which roughen the surfaces are indicated in the drawings by vertically extending and providing sufficient surface tension to hold '7 drops suspended, said member receiving the wameans for supplying thewater, substantially as described.

3. An appliance according to claim 1 in which the notches are wider at their lower than at their upper ends said notches being of substantial width adjacent their upper ends.

4. An appliance according to claim 1 in which the drip member is tubular and the notches extend through its front and rear wall portions.

5. In combination, a trough to contain water, and a distributor on the under side of and attached to said trough receiving water therefrom, said distributor being notched on its under side to divide the water into drops, there being substantial surface areas between the notches from and the like, a drip bar having a roughened upper exterior surface to spread drops of water falling thereon, and having means on its under side to form segregated drops of water with areas to provide surface tension to suspend said drops, said drops forming after said water flows from its upper side downwardly, and means for supplying water to said bar, substantially as described.

8. In combination, a trough, a distributor receiving water from said trough, said distributor being notched along its lower portion to divide the water for the formation of definite drops along the under side of the distributor, and a drip bar below the distributor upon which the drops from said distributor fall to flow over its exterior surface, said drip bar having means to divide the water flowing down along its sides for the formation of drops definitely spaced apart on the under side of said bar, substantially as described.

9. Apparatus for providing drinking water for fowls comprising bars having means spaced apart therealong for supplying the water, means for dividing the water into drops segregated in position to be taken by the fowls, means for receiving and spreading the unused drops as they fall and for forming drops from said spread water in position to be taken by the fowls, substantially as described.

10. Apparatus according to claim 9 in which the means for dividing the water into drops are definitely spaced apart and the means for forming drops from the spread water of the unused drops are also definitely spaced apart, whereby the drops throughout the apparatus will be spaced apart at definite intervals and accessible to the fowls.

11. A watering device for fowls comprising a plurality of members arranged one above another, the upper member delivering water in the form of drops to the member below it, and which latter member reconverts the water of the unused drops and delivers it in the form of drops and means for supplying water to'the device.

12. A watering device for fowls according to claim 11 in which the members are in the form of bars provided at their under portions with spaced apart free openings leaving intact surface areas between of sufficient area to provide surface tension for the accumulation of water in the form of drops, substantially as described. 7

13. A drinking appliance for birds comprising a bar horizontally disposed, rounded in cross section at its under side, and having spaced apart notches extending transversely through said rounded under side, and means for supplying water to the upper surface of said bar.

14. A drinking water appliance for birds comprising a bar horizontally disposed, of substantially cylindrical form in cross section with spaced apart notches cutting through the lower cylindrical part of said bar from front to rear,

the upper surface of said cylindrical bar being flattened. and means for supplying water to said flattened surface to pass down the outer sides of the bar.

15. An appliance according to claim 13 in which said bar is in the general form of a substantially cylindrical tube, with the said notches communicating the interior of said tube with the air exterior thereto.

16. In combination in a bird watering appliance, a frame, a plurality of horizontally extending bars disposed'one above another in the same vertical plane, said bars being of comparatively small width in order that drops suspended between the bars substantially midway of their width are readily accessible to the birds, said bars receiving the water upon their upper exterior surfaces to flow down their outer sides having substantially horizontal surface areas spaced apart lengthwise of the bars at their lower sides for segregating the water into drops, said surface areas being of suificient extent to cause the drops to be arrested momentarily to be taken by the birds, and said bars being sufficiently close together to insure the falling drops hitting the bar next below but far enough apart to allow the drops to form, substantially as described.

17. Apparatus for supplying fowls with water, comprising a frame, a plurality of horizontal rods arranged one above the other in said frame, and spaced apart sufficiently to allow free water to pass by gravity from bar to bar, means for feeding water to the upper outer side of the topmost bar to flow down the sides of said bar to the gating the water into drops, substantially as described.

19. A drinking fountain for poultry and the like comprising a supply pipe, and a tube p0si-' tioned below said pipe, said tube having in its under portion a series of openings communicating with the interior of said tube to provide means for causing the water fromthe supply pipe to form drops on the spaces between said openings in the under portion of said tube.

STANLEY A. BUSH. 

